New books, Summer reading.

Perfect for those of you who are looking to do some research and reading this summer holiday, whilst recharging ready for the autumn term.

We have added several books published by ATM which we think compliment the work of Dr C Gattegno and bring it into the modern teaching dialogue.

As one of the co-founders of the ATM his work continues in the teaching practice and pedagogy of the academics who have contributed to these books.

We find it a great testament to the longevity of Gattegno’s work that today mathematicians and linguists are still referencing his words and using his material as a foundation for their own work.

The first book we have included in our current range is ‘Exploring Area and Fractions with Square Geoboards’ by Geoff Faux.

In his book he has opened up the world of fractions and area through a fascinating collection of tasks that are ideal for geometrical investigation. They naturally stray into geometry, demonstrating the rich inter-connectedness of mathematics and Geoff’s narrative illustrates this powerfully for the reader. It is ideal of use in both KS2/KS3 classrooms and as CPD for teachers wishing to develop their understanding, reasoning and problem solving skills.

This book is accompanied by a 140 page PDF file that includes images and questions for use on a classroom whiteboard, as well as four personal white boards with 3 x 3 geoboards printed on them.

We have also added ‘Variation in mathematics teaching and learning: A collection of writing from ATM: Mathematics Teaching’

This book contains a collection of writings from various authors, including Dr Caleb Gattegno, Anne Watson and John Mason, Dick Tahta, Dave Hewitt, Sue Pope and Mike Ollerton, Taro Fujita and Yoshiko Miura, Colin Foster, William Malcom, Laurinda Brown and Alf Coles.

Collated by Anne Watson.

The word ‘variation’ has become a new buzzword for mathematics teachers, but it is not a new idea. Variation is embedded in mathematics. It is an old idea that pops up again and again when people think deeply about the teaching and learning of mathematics. This book is for anyone involved in teaching mathematics, at whatever level, and grounds current ideas in the wisdom and experience of four decades of ATM. It is a collection of writing from Mathematics Teaching organised into five sections, each focussing on how teaching shapes experience:

Points of view

Experiencing structure

Reasoning from Examples

Teaching that depends on variation

Freedom to create

Another lovely publication that we are delighted to add to our online store is ‘On teaching and learning mathematics with awareness’

This book is the result of a collaboration between members of the ATM’s Science of Education group and is inspired by the ideas of Caleb Gattegno.

‘We offer provocations, prompts and reflections on how mathematics teaching can occasion an awareness on the part of the student and, what awarenesses are needed, as a teacher, in order to do this.’

Finally we are adding to our bookstore ‘ How We Learn and How We Should be Taught – An Introduction to the work of Caleb Gattegno’ Volume 1 by Roslyn Young and Piers Messum.

Roslyn Young met Gattegno for the first time in 1971 in Geneva, where she saw him teach an hour of Chinese. She knew immediately that she wanted to be able to teach in this way. Roslyn wrote her doctoral thesis on Gattegno’s model and its relevance to his work in language teaching. She has published around 30 articles on teaching and the Silent Way. Roslyn has worked for the Gattegno association in France, Une Education Pour Demain https://www.uneeducationpourdemain.org/ since the beginning of the 1980’s and has recently gone on to found Pronounciation Science https://www.uneeducationpourdemain.org/ with Piers Messum.

Piers studied mathematics and law at Cambridge University before becoming a computer programmer. He taught English in Japan in the mid 1980’s where he learnt Japanese in a Silent Way class. He first met Gattegno there, at a seminar described the application of his model to the problem of health.

After working in software sales, Piers started teaching English again in 1991, this time using the Silent Way. He became interested in how pronunciation is learned, and wrote a doctoral thesis at University College London which developed some of Gattegno’s ideas to explain how children learn the pronunciation of their first language.

‘Gattegno was a close observer of himself and others, and wrote about teaching, learning and psychology throughout his life. This culminated in his proposals for a Science of Education. He devised techniques and produced materials that make it easier for teachers to help their students learn. Together, the theory and its practical applications show how the actions of teachers in the classroom can always be a response to the learning of each individual student, from moment to moment. In these terms, teaching is then genuinely subordinated to learning. It is easier to understand Gattegno’s approach to teaching when one has an understanding of his ideas about how people learn. This book presents a model of human learning that he developed, and shows it can be applied inside and outside the classroom.